Winter Meeting. 191 



girls, while it doesn't hurt their value or quality, I should have said 

 they are not fit for show purposes. I will send in two more boxes in 

 a few days; I will donate the two boxes for the good of the fair. 

 Wishing you success, I remain, yours truly, 



G. T. Odor. 



Baring, Mo., November 2'j, 1903. 

 Hon. L. A. Goodman : 



Dear Sir — The program for the meeting of our State Horticultural 

 Society received. Thanks. I anticipate one of the best meetings ever 

 held by our great society, although any of them are always interest- 

 ing, no matter where held. Although I may not be able to meet with 

 you, I will be with you in heart and spirit. I have become so hard of 

 hearing that I do not expect that I could understand the drift of the 

 essays and the experiences given by members and others in the good 

 work, but am always pleased to read the proceedings in the annual 

 report which you have always sent me, for which I am ever grateful 

 to you. I think and believe we have the best horticultural society in 

 this great country, of which every Missourian can and should be 

 proud and should be thankful to its officers for their unselfish efforts 

 to make it so. 



My dear Mr. Goodman, this has been rather an off year in this 

 part of our State, so far as fruit is concerned. Trees of the different 

 sorts were in bloom early for this part of the country, and we had 

 a pretty wet spring. On the night of May ist, we had a severe freeze, 

 which no doubt caused the abortion of a large number of blossoms. 

 Then it was wet and cool through most of the month of June, pre- 

 senting the very condition favorable for an epidemic of scab, con- 

 sequently the fruit was undersized and generally scabby. I had 

 nothing worthy, nor did I see anything in my neighborhood worthy 

 of saving for the World's Fair, but there were now and then ex- 

 ceptions on some young orchards. There are several parties in our 

 county seat, Edina, who have gathered all fine specimens they could 

 and are preserving them for the World's Fair. There was also a 

 gentleman working through here in the interest of the World's 

 Fair, gathering all good specimens of fruit worthy to show. He said 

 North Missouri had finer fruit this season than South Missouri. 

 Trees have gone into winter quarters in fine condition, and I hope 

 next year will be a good fruit year so we can show to the world what 

 Missouri is capable of producing and we can hold our old-time repu- 

 tation. I believe the Louisiana Purchase celebration will be the great- 

 est World's Fair in history, and everybody should do what they can. 



